Gravity-hinge.



J. E. GLOEKLER.

GRAVITY HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. zo, 1908.

903,704. Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

JOHN EDWARD GLOEKLER, QI" PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

, GRAVITY-HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.y

'Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed August 20, 1908. Serial No. 449,454.

To all whom it may concern: ,f

Be itknown that I, JOHN EDWARD Gnomi- LER, citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of .Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania,'have invented new and useful lImprovements in Gravity-Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

My invention pertains to what are known asgravity hinges; and it contemplates the provision of a simple, compact and strong gravity hinge, designed more especially for use in combination with a heavy refrigerator kor coldQ-storage-apartment door, and constructed with a view of enabling the door to freely gravitate to its closed position and then drop vertically, the latter to crowd the base packing of the dooragainst the door casing and in that way lessenthe liability* of cold air escaping from orwarm air entering the refrigerator or storage apartment.

The novelty, utility and practical advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forniing part. of this specification, in which:

Figure l' is an elevation illustrating the application of my improvements to a door and door frame or casing; the swinging and vertically-movable member of the hinge being shown inthe position it occupies as the door approaches the plane in which it drops vertically to its fully closed position. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in thedirection indicated by arrow, and: Fig. 3 is la detail horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by' the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly.

l Similar letters designatel corresponding' parts in all of the views of the drawings, re-

ture, of circular forni'in cross-section, and' is also provided with an inclined platform c which extends forwardly from it, below' the lug b Vand is provided-withia vertical aper-ll ture cZ,-. of, circular ,form in -cross-sectioi'i,` alined with"the'fbeforementioned apertre the lug rllhe upper face ofttlie platform c is straight, and is inclined downwardly to- .ward the adjacent edge of the door A, and

at its upper side said platform is provided withza horizontal portion @and a depression f, the horizontal portion e being located at the end of the platform remote from the door A, and the. depression f being arranged at/ the end of the platform nearest the saiddoor A for reasons which willl be hereinafter set forth.

In addition to the fixed member C, my novel Ihinge comprises a swinging andvertic-ally movable member which is made up of a strap g fixed in any approved manner to the door A, and having an end portionJt located between the lug b and the platform c, a vertically disposed, rotatablel and vertically movable pintle i extending through an eye j of the strap g and fixed to said'strap so as to swing horizontally andmove vertically therewith, and a'ball caster m, the housing a of which bears against the lower edge of the strap g and is provided with a portion (not shown), dispose'din socket p' formed by en'-A largements located at opposite sides -of the strap gas clearly shown inFig. 3 of. the drawings.

In the practical use of my improvements, it will be manifest that when 'the door A is swung open, the ball caster m will travel up.

the inclined plane of the platform c, and. hence the swinging movement of the door A, strap g and pintle z' will be attended by upward. movement thereof, with the'result that until the ball caster m, reaches the horizontal portionc of platform c, the door will'tend to freely gravitate to its closed position. It will be noted, however, that when the door A is opened sufficiently todispose the ball caster m on the horizontal portion e ofy the platform c, the door will remainin an open -position', and hence when itis desired to close'the door some'li'tt'le stress is .necessary ioo to move the ball caster m from the horizontal" portion e to the" inclined plane ofthe platform, 'when the door will gravitate to its closed position las before described. As the door approaches its fully closed;` osition, the ballxcas-ter m will sink in the' epressi'onf of the platform c, andconsequently the door will dropsuddenly' afvertical plane, this: latter being particularly advantageous -inasmuch as itis adapted to'crowdpacking .(iiot4 shown) on thebaseedgelofithe door against the door casing'witli 'a viewofinakiiiga-ti'ght inclined plane of the platform and the rais' ing of the door which attends such travel of the caster. v As beforestatedlmy specific gravity hinge is designed for uselin combination with a .heavy refrigerator' or cold-storage apartment door, and for such use it is essential that the upper face of the platform c be straight as well yas inclined in order to obviate binding. lof the heavy door when the same is f sw inging to its closed position, and to permit of the door being swung open without undue effort.' It isalso essential to employ a bally caster 1n combination wlth the straight inclined .upper surface of the platform, since such a Icaster alone 1 s adapted to accommodate itself to the said surface incidental tol the movements of the swinging member of the hinge; and it is equally necessary that the straight inclined upper surface of vthe platform mergefsharply into the depression f disposed Iin the end of the platform nearest the door, for otherwise the packing with which such vdoors are ordinarily provided on their lower edges would bind and drag against the Hoor precedent to the completion of the .door closing, and' by so doing would.

render: it practically impossible tov completely and tightly close the door.

My invention contemplates the use of two or more of my novel gravity hinges in combination with a single door, but inasmuch as 'theY said hinges lare identical in construction I have deemed it necessary to illustrate but one" hinge.

It ,will lbe gathered from the foregoing that-the platform c serves as the lower jourtributes to the simplicity and compactness ofl the novel hinge as well as to the strength thereof.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is: 4

The herein described gravity hinge cons sisting essentially of, a ixed member having a lug in which there is a vertically disposed aperture, of circular form, in cross-section, and also having a platform, located belowr the lug, and provided with an aperture, of circular form in cross-section, alined with that of the lug, and also provided at its upper side with a straight, inclined surface and with a horizontal portion at the-upper end of the inclined surface and a depression into which the inclined surface sharply merges at the point of the fplatform nearest the door in connection with which the hinge is employed, and a swinging and vertically movable member comprising a pintle arranged and adapted to turn and move'vertically in the alined apertures of the lug and platform of the `fixed member, a vstrap xed lto and adapted to turn and move vertically with the pintle and having a socket formed by enlargements at opposite sides of its lower portion, and an anti-friction device having a housing arranged in the said socket and aga-inst the lower edge ofthe strap and also having a ball disposed in the housing and on the platform of the liXed member. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN EDWARD GLOEKLER.

Witnesses l O. BRASHEAR, A um n'r Gnou umm. 

